1. Technical Field
The present invention is directed to an apparatus, system and method for subscription computing using spare resources of subscriber computing platforms.
2. Description of Related Art
Information Technology (IT) outsourcing, or subscription computing, is a package of hardware, system and application software, services and support providing a complete implementation of a computing infrastructure. Personal computers, local area networks, an optional local server, a gateway, and Internet service are all examples of hardware, software and services that are provided to a subscription computing subscriber. Telephone-based support with remote-access software is often provided to subscription computing subscribers to resolve subscriber problems. In addition, anti-virus and data backup services may be offered to guard the subscriber's data. Such subscription computing services are often utilized by small businesses, for example, which are charged a monthly fee for the provided service.
With known IT outsourcing or subscription computing systems, the subscription computing services are provided centrally. That is, all subscription computing services, such as data backup, data analysis, and the like, make use of resources of the subscription service provider. Because these services are provided centrally, the central hosting cannot scale beyond a certain point because the service provider is a central point of failure in the system and is vulnerable to network outages. Therefore, it would be beneficial to have an apparatus, system and method for providing subscription computing services that overcomes the vulnerability of the centrally provided subscription computing services of the prior art.